Salena Jones

Salena Jones
Salena Jones (1970)
Background information
Birth name	Joan Elizabeth Shaw
Also known as	Joan Shaw
Born	(1930-01-29) January 29, 1930 (age 87) Newport News, Virginia, United States
Genres	Jazz, cabaret, R&B
Occupation(s)	Vocalist
Years active	1949–present
Labels	Savoy, MGM, Regal, Abbey, Coral, Gem, Jaguar, ABC-Paramount, Sue, CBS, JVC Victor
Associated acts	Keith Mansfield (husband)
Website	SalenaJones.com

Salena Jones (born Joan Elizabeth Shaw, January 29, 1930 or 1944) is an American jazz and cabaret singer. After performing and recording in the US as Joan Shaw from the late 1940s until the early 1960s, in various styles including jazz and R&B, she moved to England and from then on performed as Salena Jones. She has toured internationally and recorded over forty albums.

According to most sources, she was born Joan Elizabeth Shaw in Newport News, Virginia, though some sources give the name Joan DeCarlo. Her uncle was a vaudeville comedian, dancer and singer, Bootsie Swan. After first singing in her church and school, she started performing in clubs by the age of fifteen. She won a talent contest in New York's Apollo Theater, singing "September Song", and after making demonstration records for Peggy Lee and Lena Horne, acquired her own contract as Joan Shaw. Her first disc was 1949's "He Knows How to Hucklebuck", with the Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams Orchestra, for the Savoy label. In the early 1950s, she recorded for various labels including MGM (1950), Regal, Abbey (both 1951), and Coral (1952), often working with vocal group The Five Keys and the Billy Ford Orchestra. After some time performing in clubs in Florida and elsewhere as a nightclub singer, she began touring with an R&B band, the Blues Express, appearing with Johnnie Ray, Arthur Prysock, Varetta Dillard, Peppermint Harris, and others. She recorded in various styles, including R&B on recordings such as "You Drive Me Crazy" on the Gem label in 1953.